Women’s Basketball Falls to Bryant in the NEC Quarterfinals

The Mount’s rough season came to an end on Sunday, Mar. 8 as they fell to NEC rival Bryant in the first round of the playoffs 76-54. The Mount got off to a slow start and could not overcome it having been down by 13 in the first half. The loss marks the 22nd loss of the season, the 12th in conference play, and the final collegiate game for Jenn Carney, who had a team high 18 points for the Mount. “We didn’t bring enough energy out of the locker room to start and Bryant ran all over us in the beginning of the game”, said Carney.

The Mount closed the gap at the end of the first half as they went into halftime with a score of 34-27. To start the second half, the Mount were able to close the gap to 4 but then went on a scoring drought that lasted more than 7 minutes, allowing Bryant to distance themselves from the Mount.

Bryant then went on a 19-0 run midway through the second half and jumped to a 22 point lead. They never looked back. NEC player of the year Breanna Rucker led the way for Bryant with 27 points and eight rebounds.

Turnovers plagued the Mount in this game as well as they committed a whopping 27 total, leading to 29 points for Bryant. The Mount was also outrebounded 34-25, which proved to be a huge difference maker as Bryant outscored the Mount in second chance points 27-2. Bryant brought their range with them to the game shooting 12-24 from behind the three point arc, including going 6-9 from three in the final six minutes of the game. The Mount were not able to get as many attempts up, going a mere 4-9 from three.

Freshman guard Jessica Harris made a return from a concussion injury that sidelined her earlier in the season. She contributed 12 points for the Mount and pulled down 6 rebounds. “I’m sure I speak for the team when I say that we are all disappointed. We know we could have played better today but we didn’t and our season is ending a lot earlier than we want it to”, added Harris.

The future seems bright for the Mount as both freshman guards Jessica Harris and Katrice Dickson poured in 12. Dickson led the way for the bench as well. “We do have a lot of upside and are looking forward to the future. I just feel for our seniors because I didn’t want to see them end their careers like this”, said Dickson.

Senior Jackie Brewer sat out the game with an injury and was not able to compete with her team in the playoffs. “If it was up to me, I would have been out there today”, said Brewer expressing her frustration. Brewer and Carney finished their Mount careers on a low note, but there was a lot of success for both of these young women. Carney finished her career with 590 points, and Brewer with 1,159. 1,039 of those points came in her Mount uniform as a transfer from Virginia Commonwealth University.

A disheartening loss for the Mount ends this season, but there is much to look forward to with returning players Sarafina Arthur-Williams, Jessica Harris, and Katrice Dickson. “I loved playing with Jackie and Jenn these past two years. With them moving on, it only means we have to step up and lead this team now. This is something I know we are capable of”, said Arthur-Williams.